“The best possible tribute to her life is to continue the work Grace started on behalf of Annie’s List and women across Texas,” she said.

UPDATE 10:26 am: A number of colleagues and friends are expressing their grief and remembrances.

From Democratic governor nominee Wendy Davis: “I have been profoundly blessed to have shared moments of my life with my friend, Grace Garcia, a woman with a rare combination of guts and tenderness who I will deeply miss.

“Where others saw challenges, Grace saw possibilities and was always inspiring others to believe in her vision. That’s why, under her guidance, Annie’s List had its most extraordinary year ever. Her absence in the landscape of Texas politics and what she meant to us personally will leave a void that simply cannot be filled.”

From Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Leticia Van de Putte: “Today, Pete and I remember the life and work of our lifelong and dear friend Grace Ann Garcia. She was a fierce warrior for Texas women and equality. Texas has lost a giant.”

Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa: “Grace was tough and driven with an unparalleled commitment to the women of Texas. With her sudden and tragic passing Texans have lost a true leader.”

He vowed to seal the Texas-Mexico border, improve failing public schools and reduce Democrats’ influence in the Senate.

“The people of Texas have given us a mandate tonight to get property taxes lower,” he said.

Patrick predicted the GOP would foil Democrats’ efforts to begin turning the state blue.

“It’s important that the Democrats understand when they say Battleground Texas, they picked the worst ground ever to have a battle on,” he said. “If the Democrats think that they’re going to bring Obama liberalism to Texas and win, they have a long, cold day in November ahead of them.”

Patrick said that starting Wednesday, he is going into Democratic strongholds to seek votes.
“Some Democrats have said they wanted me to be the nominee. Well, they’ve got me and I’m coming,” he said to applause.

Dewhurst, who at 68 may have run his last race, told supporters he called Patrick to congratulate him for winning a hard fought contest. Dewhurst, though, denounced what he said was “a tsunami of untrue attacks” from Patrick.

Dewhurst, choking back tears, called the state’s economic boom his legacy.

“Over the last 10 years, we’ve had a shared vision … that has left Texas a better place than we found it,” Dewhurst said. “At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask.”

Update at 8:21 p.m.: The Associated Press has called the GOP lieutenant governor runoff for Dan Patrick, saying the nomination is his. AP also says, “The loss likely ends Dewhurst’s political career. The Houston energy mogul has held statewide office since 1999 but has said this would probably be his final campaign.” Have added anomaly at bottom: Dewhurst took in more “late money,” according to telegram reports to the Texas Ethics Commission.

Update at 7:46 p.m.: Post reflects a wider Patrick lead, though only about 4 percent of precincts statewide have reported. Also includes his conciliatory comment about party unity.

Original post at 7:32 p.m.: State Sen. Dan Patrick appeared on the verge Tuesday of ending Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s 16 year run in statewide office by capitalizing on support from tea party adherents and staunch conservatives who are expected to dominate a GOP runoff for lieutenant governor.

In very light early returns of early votes cast last week, Patrick was leading Dewhurst by about 25 percentage points. In March’s initial voting, Patrick finished 13 points ahead of the incumbent.

While more than 1.3 million people voted in the initial March winnowing of the four-man Republican field, hard-hitting attack ads and awkward timing after Memorial Day weekend could create an even larger drop-off in voter participation this year than was seen between the Republican primary and runoff in Dewhurst’s failed 2012 race for U.S. Senate.

In 2012, elections also were held on unusual dates. About 300,000 fewer voter showed up for the second round in late July, when tea party-backed insurgent Ted Cruz overtook Dewhurst and went on to victory and a possible presidential bid in 2016.

AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Kern Warren

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst greets a supporter after he conceded defeat at Dan Patrick's hands Tuesday

Patrick, 64, has enjoyed strong tea party support this year as he pressed a very Cruz-like case that he’s the “authentic conservative” in the race — and that Dewhurst has been too prone to compromise with Democrats.

Dewhurst, 68, responded that he deserves partial credit for the state’s economic success and has delivered the nation’s toughest restrictions on abortion and partisan measures such as voter ID and redistricting maps fiercely protested by Democrats. As the Senate’s presiding officer since 2003, Dewhurst said he has helped hold the line on state spending, thwart frivolous lawsuits and pass tax cuts.

Patrick, though, said the abortion restrictions faced tougher sledding in Dewhurst’s Senate than they should have. He said Dewhurst allowed too many committees — six — to be chaired by Democrats.

Patrick, a radio talk-show host and businessman, negated Dewhurst’s usual money advantage. Patrick spent more than $9 million, only about $1.6 million of it his own money. That forced Dewhurst, despite the loyalties of business and trade groups cemented during his three terms as lieutenant governor, to dip into his own pocket for more than $5 million of the more than $12 million he spent.

Although Dewhurst’s supporters said Patrick’s depression and suicide attempts nearly 30 years ago should give voters concern, Patrick countered that Dewhurst was responsible for unearthing and publicizing details of his medical history, which he called a slimy tactic. Dewhurst ads also harped on Patrick’s 1980s bankruptcy, caused by the failure of his sports bar chain, and the hiring of undocumented workers at the sports bars by Patrick’s managers. Though that wasn’t illegal at the time, Dewhurst called it hypocrisy for Patrick to campaign today as the self-described tough on immigration candidate.

None of Dewhurst’s shots gravely wounded Patrick. The Houston senator appears to already have passed muster with tea party leaders and disgruntled GOP voters. In the end, they didn’t believe — or didn’t care about — what Dewhurst was saying about Patrick’s unfitness for a very powerful office.

As he made final stops of his runoff campaign Tuesday, Patrick said he’d focus on uniting the Republican Party.

“It’s all forgiven in my view,” he told Houston’s KTRK-TV. “It’s in the rearview mirror. Let’s move on and let’s all work together to defeat the Democrats. They’re our real opponent.”

The winner faces state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, in November.

NOTE: In something of an anomaly, Dewhurst took in more “late money,” according to telegram reports to the Texas Ethics Commission. Between May 19 and Saturday, Dewhurst received $281,500, compared with $263,570 for Patrick in the same period. And $57,430 of Patrick’s receipts came from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a group that backed Dewhurst before the March 4 primary. Among the late contributors to Dewhurst were Border Health PAC, representing Doctors Renaissance Hospital in McAllen, $50,000; Bobby Cox of Fort Worth, $50,000; and former Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane, $10,000. Among Patrick’s late givers, beside the lawsuit group, were Dallas businessmen Gilbert Steedley, $37,500; Trammel Crow, $25,000; and University of Texas trustee Wallace Hall, whom Patrick defended last week, $10,000.

Gov. Rick Perry is scheduled to appear with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and actor Sean Penn as guests of a well-known rabbi at his Champions on Jewish Values awards gala.

The New York gala this Sunday night might be a draw for Perry, who is eyeing a second run for the presidency, but perhaps the bigger draw will be one of the dinner’s co-hosts. That would by Las Vegas casino magnate and mega-Republican donor Sheldon Adelson.

The master of ceremonies for the event is Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, an outspoken and highly visible advocate for Israel that has been critical of the Obama Administration.

Boteach ran for Congress from New Jersey in 2012, winning the Republican nomination before being defeated by Bill Pascrell in the general election.

The actor Sean Penn is scheduled to appear to be recognized for his humanitarian work in Haiti, as will New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who will receive the Champion of Human Spirit award.

Below, a video of the governor celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah with rabbis from December 2010.

“Either Tommy Merritt is not telling the truth about being endorsed by Ralph Hall or Congressman Hall did endorse Merritt and Hall’s campaign team is now doing everything they can to distance themselves from that endorsement because they understand that it will hurt Congressman Hall to be publicly associated with Tommy Merritt and his liberal record,” Smith said in an email.

“No matter which version is true, both are extremely problematic for Tommy Merritt.”

Update at 3:14 p.m.: Former state Rep. Tommy Merritt said Saturday that U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall did endorse his bid to become agriculture commissioner.

“We’re long-time friends and I stand by what we put on Facebook,” Merritt said in an interview. “I’m honored to have Ralph Hall’s endorsement.”

Merritt said suggestions by the camp of GOP opponent Sid Miller that Hall didn’t endorse Merritt are false.

“I don’t know where that’s coming from,” he said.

A Hall spokesman did not immediately respond to a phone message.

Original item at 8:17 a.m.: Agriculture commissioner hopeful Sid Miller has accused opponent Tommy Merritt of claiming that veteran East Texas Congressman Ralph Hall has endorsed him in their fierce GOP runoff contest when he hasn’t.

Smith said Dallas consultant Ed Valentine, the Hall adviser, told him “they were seeking out Mr. Merritt to demand that he remove the offending post immediately.”

On Monday, Merritt posted on his Facebook account a photograph of Hall with the comment that “his endorsement is a true honor.” The photograph apparently was taken at a weekend celebration in Dallas of Hall’s 91st birthday, which was Saturday.

Tom Fox/Staff photographer

Republican agriculture commissioner candidate Sid Miller

Valentine could not be reached for comment. Merritt spokesman Mark Sanders, asked about the veracity of the Facebook post, declined to comment. You can view the Facebook post below.

Smith, the Miller consultant, said Valentine told him Hall “is focused on his own race.”

Hall, now in his 17th term, is locked in a May 27 Republican runoff with former federal prosecutor John Ratcliffe.

Hall has endorsed one fellow Texas Republican who’s in a runoff — state Sen. Bob Deuell of Greenville. Deuell faces retired businessman Bob Hall of Edgewood, southeast of Dallas. He and Ralph Hall are not related.

It’s unlikely Ralph Hall’s advisers want him involved in other intra-party feuds, such as Miller and Merritt’s clash for the coveted Republican nomination to be the next agriculture commissioner.

Current Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples did not seek re-election and ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. That set off a five-way GOP scramble. In initial voting, Miller, a nurseryman and rancher from Stephenville, finished ahead of Merritt, a Longview businessman. But neither drew the needed majority of votes. And they are trading blows as the runoff approaches.

The winner of Miller and Merritt’s runoff will face the Democratic victor on May 27, either singer-author Kinky Friedman or Jim Hogan of Cleburne.

Update at 2:30 p.m.: Patrick’s campaign has issued a statement saying he had a medical deferment that kept him from serving in the military during Vietnam. He denounced Patterson’s jibe as a “smear.” Patrick said his father was a Marine and “I was ready to serve.”

The Patrick campaign release said, “In 1972, after being drafted, Dan reported for a physical examination to Fort Holabird in Baltimore, Mad. Dan was quickly determined medically ineligible to serve due to childhood injuries. Dan had broken his right leg twice due to a bone cyst and doctors thought it might cause him to lose the limb. He also had suffered a serious knee injury while playing high school sports. These injuries prevented him from being accepted into the service and he received a medical deferment.”

On Thursday, Patterson, who’s wrapping up his third term as Texas land commissioner, showed that the reins are off and he’s like no one else in state politics as he touted incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst over opponent Sen. Dan Patrick in the May 27 GOP runoff.

In a 35-minute press conference, Patterson wove together hard shots at Patrick with history lessons, personal reminiscences and a Top Ten Reasons knock-off of David Letterman — on his reasons for “not endorsing Dan Patrick.”

Patrick aides did not immediately respond to Patterson’s statement that Patrick, 64, should explain why he didn’t serve in the military during the Vietnam war.

“There may be a good reason,” Patterson said, speculating Patrick — who lived in Maryland at the time — probably had a student deferment.

Patterson stressed that Dewhurst, 68, served in the Air Force and then the CIA in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

“I categorically and unequivocally support David Dewhurst, and it’s not even close,” he said.

Later Thursday, the Patrick campaign released its own web video, giving the Top Ten Reasons “to give Dewhurst the boot.” The top one was Dewhurst’s allowing Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, to filibuster an abortion restrictions bill last summer, which Patrick says allowed her to become “an infamous symbol [of] the radical pro-choice left.” Patrick’s video is below.

During the news conference, Patterson spoke with exuberance and passion as he dispensed metaphors, barbs and wisecracks. While most politicians would follow a careful script as they announce an endorsement, Patterson was free-wheeling and far-ranging.

AP Photo/Wichita Falls Times Record News, Torin Halsey

Patterson, holding mic, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, left, spoke last week at an area north of Byers, Texas, along the Red River where the federal government claims to own thousands of acres.

He predicted that lightning would strike the Senate podium whenever a Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick “says he’s telling the truth.”

He recalled that in two decades, he’s been through several campaigns for state Senate and land commissioner.

“I’ve never been unable to say something good about my opponent,” he said.

Speaking of Patrick, he said, “This is the first time.”

He stopped just short of calling Patrick, a tea party favorite and conservative Houston radio talk-show host, a pathological liar.

“There is something that compels Senator Patrick to do what he does and I’m not sure he can control it,” Patterson said.

Patterson, 67, said to describe Patrick he had to roam through the distant past of Texas and Louisiana politics and invoke Burt Lancaster’s role in a 1960 movie.

“We have the composite of ‘Pappy’ O’Daniel, Huey Long and Elmer Gantry,” he said.

He predicted “dysfunction” in the Senate if Patrick wins. Patterson said “very, very few” of the 31 senators trust Patrick and some fear he’d use his part ownership of two radio stations to punish them with negative remarks to the stations’ conservative audiences in Houston and Dallas.

After reading his Top Ten Reasons for not supporting Patrick and taking questions, Patterson predicted Dewhurst would be liberated to do what’s right for Texas in a fourth and final term.

“His next four years should be the best term he’s ever had,” he said. Dewhurst “is a good man with a good heart,” he said. By contrast, Patrick would give Democrats ample targets on policy and personal integrity, Patterson said. He ticked off what he called Patrick’s personal deficiencies, citing his name change, failure to repay old creditors after a personal bankruptcy, connections with an S&L swindler and alleged acquiescence in subordinates’ hiring of undocumented workers at his failed sports bars in the 1980s.

That’s too much “baggage,” Patterson said.

If it were he and not Dewhurst facing Patrick in the GOP runoff for lieutenant governor, Patterson was asked whether he’d do what he did Thursday — vow not to support the complete GOP ticket in the fall if Patrick wins the nomination.

“Yes, absolutely,” he replied. “That’s what makes this game fun is doing stuff different. I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind.”

All the papers and history of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson won’t be on the road again, but have found a permanent home at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas.

Nelson has donated major portions of his correspondence, manuscripts, records and awards to the university to become part of its music collection and the feature of an upcoming exhibit.

Calling Nelson an iconic Texan, UT President Bill Powers said the generous gift will allow scholars to, “have access to the inner workings of his creativity and will better understand his influence on American culture. It’s a great day for UT’s Briscoe Center.”

The collection includes photographs, correspondence and song manuscripts; posters, illustrations and portraits; platinum records, certificates and awards; signed books; screenplays; and many personal items, including Indian headdresses, dream catchers and numerous gifts from Nelson’s fans.

The collection also includes letters and photographs from musicians including Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard, as well as Bill Clinton, Ann Richards, Stephen Colbert, Peter Jackson and Lionel Richie.

Nelson, born in 1933, was raised in Central Texas in the town of Abbott by his grandparents. As a young man, he moved to Nashville and became a successful songwriter, penning such songs as “Crazy” for Patsy Cline.

He moved back to Texas in the early 1970s, where he spread from country music into the alternative music scene in Austin.

The Briscoe biography of the singer notes that he was a seven-time Grammy winner who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993. His career has spanned six decades and more than 200 albums. He has collaborated with some of the greatest musical acts of all time including Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard. Nelson has also amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor and activist.

Update at 5:17 p.m.: The Patrick campaign has responded with its own high-tech humor. Click here to see “the real story of ‘frozen’ in the Texas lieutenant governor race.” It has no fewer than seven GIFs from the movie “Frozen.”

They say things such as, “David Dewhurst was a bit distracted and never got serious about border security until Dan Patrick arrived in the Senate.”

Dewhurst is like a moose slipping on ice, Patrick’s response suggests.

“Texans need a lieutenant governor who will cut property taxes and secure the border, not a moderate without solid conservative footing,” it says.

While we’re on this ice-capped mountain theme, we should note that last week, the Texas Democratic Party put up its own website critical of Dewhurst — and presumably, making a pun about the soft drink Mountain Dew, although I could be wrong about that. Check it out here. As the Dems want you to tweet, #DontDotheDew.

Original item at 4:38 p.m.: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, with apologies to Disney, wants you to know that his GOP runoff opponent Dan Patrick is a “phony.”

On Wednesday, the Dewhurst campaign released a web video that soon went viral.

It stressed that Patrick was born as Dannie Goeb and sure did some wacky things as a Houston sportscaster in the 1970s and 1980s — such as take off his shirt and, on camera, let two women paint him Houston Oiler blue.

It’s the second shirtless appearance by Patrick in Dewhurst attack ads in recent days — and for many of us, that’s probably enough.

Patrick, who led Dewhurst by 13 percentage points in the March primary, has said the incumbent is desperate and using gutter tactics to divert attention from his overly moderate record as the Senate’s presiding officer since 2003. Patrick has taken particular exception to Dewhurst’s use of photographs commemorating Patrick’s appearance at a charity event. Patrick agreed to wear no shirt under his jacket.

In the Dewhurst web ad, called “The Ballad of Dannie Goeb,” a still photo of Patrick is Photo-shopped so that he’s Elsa, princess of Arendelle, in the Disney movie “Frozen.”

Michael Ainsworth/Staff photographer

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, after Wednesday's debate in Dallas

To the tune of the film’s Oscar-winning song, “Let It Go,” the fictional Patrick sings of his newfound freedom to be who he really is, much as Elsa expressed her relief to no longer keep secret her supernatural power to produce ice, frost and snow at will.

In “The Ballad of Dannie Goeb,” the fictional Patrick is uptight, wearing a blazer and tie, as he recounts his supposed past efforts to keep people from knowing about his bankruptcy and federal, state and local tax liens. They stemmed from the failure of his chain of five Houston sports bars in the mid-1980s.

“I … won’t let them see that I’m a phony, radio disc jockey,” he sings, wearing a purple cape as Elsa did in the film.

“I’ll try to lie, why should they know? Well, now they know.”

The ad then shifts to grainy footage of Disco Dan, trying his hand as a singer at least 30 years ago, and then sitting as the women paint his upper body Oiler blue. “Dannie Goeb! Dannie Goeb! I can’t lie to you any more. That’s my name! Dannie Goeb! And I’ve got lies to answer for!”

The Patrick campaign did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The Dewhurst web ad is below. You can watch the box office hit’s “Let It Go” here.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s campaign on Saturday slammed GOP runoff opponent Dan Patrick, saying this Dallas Morning Newsstory about his involvement with a savings and loan swindler in the late 1980s should trouble voters that they’re about to “vote a fox into the hen house.”

The newspaper reported that Patrick made his rebound from business disaster to business success with capital provided by Houston lawyer-real estate investor W. Harold Sellers, though Patrick said he didn’t know at the time that Sellers and two other men had defrauded the largest S & L in Louisiana.

Dewhurst’s campaign said the story details “the way an S&L swindler hid money from law enforcement by underwriting Patrick’s radio station purchase.”

Dewhurst campaign political director Chris Bryan said it should be a cautionary tale for voters in the May 27 GOP runoff election. Patrick is a heavy favorite going into the election, having led Dewhurst by 13 percentage points in the initial voting in March.

“As Texans get a more detailed look at Dan Patrick’s sordid financial past, it becomes clearer by the day that he is unfit to preside over the Senate and its budget-making authority. If we vote a fox into the hen house, we’ll have only ourselves to blame,” Bryan said.

AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Eric Kayne

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, left, gestures to State Sen. Dan Patrick, right, at Houston Public Media studios during the GOP lieutenant governor debate on Friday in Houston.

Earlier in the week, Patrick adviser Allen Blakemore told my colleague Terrence Stutz, with whom I co-wrote Saturday’s story, that the Sellers story is a Dewhurst hit job.

“David Dewhurst is clearly becoming more and more desperate,” Blakemore said. “He is now simply throwing stuff at the wall, hoping that anything will stick.”

Blakemore called the Sellers-Patrick relationship in the past “a story Mr. Dewhurst has been peddling for several months. It’s all part of his campaign of personal attacks to deflect from his record of failed leadership and not discussing relevant and important public policy issues.”

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's re-election campaign dissed opponent Sen. Dan Patrick as the moral inferior of Tyrion Lannister, played by actor Peter Dinklage in the HBO series "Game of Thrones." But there are a lot of folks who, in some ways, might not measure up to the ferocious fictional character.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s social media team has mined a popular HBO fantasy drama to burn in its message that opponent Sen. David Patrick is unreliable and untrustworthy.

In a Good Friday tweet, the Dewhurst camp’s @CantTrustDan alter ego published photos of Tyrion Lannister, one of author George R.R. Martin’s most memorable characters in the “Game of Thrones,” and Patrick.

Superimposed on the image of Tyrion, played by Peter Dinklage, was the phrase, “Pays His Debts.”

Over the still photo of a mic-holding Patrick, who seems to be shrugging as he talks, is the kicker: “Not So Much.”

As we reported in this post last week, Dewhurst has aired a TV ad that scalds Patrick for not repaying old business creditors, even as he to a significant degree self-funded his lieutenant governor campaign this year.

The spot, which is running heavily on broadcast TV as well as Fox News cable, also hits Patrick for his past tax problems and name change. However, as we noted in a story in Thursday’s paper, there’s no factual support for the Dewhurst ad’s assertion that Patrick changed his birth name, Dannie Scott Goeb, “to hide from the debts.” Patrick’s strategist Allen Blakemore quickly noted that Dewhurst also had a business failure in the 1980s, which involved a bankruptcy. Also, Dewhurst failed to pay more than $1 million in debts to his 2012 U.S. Senate campaign’s vendors, Blakemore said.

In “Game of Thrones,” House Lannister is not exactly a repository of civic and personal virtue. The Lannisters have an unofficial motto, “A Lannister always pays his debts.”

Tyrion, a dwarf, is capable of great cruelty but also of great sympathy for fellow outcasts. At times black-hearted, he also has a fierce loyalty to his undeserving family. He uses his wits to compensate for his lack of physical heft. I’ve only briefly sampled Martin’s books, and haven’t seen the TV series. To this amateur, though, Tyrion is by far the most attractive of the Lannisters. Calling Patrick his moral inferior is less cutting than it at first sounds. I’m indebted to Chris Hooks of Texas Observer, who in this post noticed Team Dewhurst’s tweet.

In this March 18, 2014, photo, Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators in Des Moines.

Ted Cruz is still cruisin’ among Texas voters. The U.S. senator has approval ratings at 47 percent of voters, with 35 percent saying they disapprove, according to a new survey released by Public Policy Polling.

Among Republicans who might seek the GOP presidential nomination, Cruz leads that field, also, with 25 percent listing him as their top choice. He is followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (14 percent). Trailing with support by 10 percent of the voters are Gov. Rick Perry, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan pulled in 5 percent of the voters and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, garnered 4 percent.

While Perry’s approval ratings have improved with 48 percent saying he’s doing a good job, two out of three Texas voters don’t want him to run for the White House again.

Only 23 percent of those polled said they think he should run in 2016, compared to 66 percent who think he should sit it out. Even among GOP primary voters, only 34 percent thought Perry should seek the presidency again.

More Republican primary voters look favorably upon Cruz running for president – 46 percent – but among all voters, 54 percent do not want Cruz running for the White House.

All of the potential Republican candidates for president currently lead Hillary Clinton in Texas, although the gap is smaller than past Republican wins in Texas presidential contests. Rand Paul does the best with a 10 point advantage over Clinton – 50 to 40 percent. Christie does the worst with just a 2-point advantage at 44 – 42 percent.

The pollsters point out that while Texas is a very conservative state, “on a trio of hot button issues going on right now public opinion there sides with the Democrats.”

Currently 55 percent (with 37 percent opposed) of voters support increasing the minimum wage to $10 an hour.

A near majority – 49 percent (35 percent opposed) – support expanding Medicaid. And 50 percent (30 percent opposed) said they support the Paycheck Fairness Act.

While only 1-in-4 Republicans support Medicaid expansion, the strong support among Democrats and Independents give the issue strength in Texas.

Okay, now onto America’s other pastime.

The Rangers are the favorite baseball team in the state, with 35 percent support among voters compared to 22 percent for the Astros.

The Atlanta Braves has 5 percent fan support in Texas with no other MLB team registering above 3 percent. (Sorry Cubbies).

Rangers fans are optimistic about the upcoming season with 74 percent predicting a trip to the playoffs and 36 percent thinking they’ll make it to the World Series.

But then, all baseball fans appear optimistic. Half of Astros fans think the team can make it into the pennant race and 22 percent think they’ll make it into the World Series. The Astros lost 111 games last year.

The poll of 559 registered voters was conducted April 10-13 and has a margin of error of 4.1 percent in either direction. For the Republican-only questions, the margin of error extends to 5.7 percent. Most of the interviews were conducted by phone, with 20 percent contacted by Internet to reach respondents who don’t have a landline telephone.